Becoming too familiar and offended at God

He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. - Matthew 13:54-58 NASU

Jesus returns home to heal the sick, cast out demons, and free all those whom the devil oppresses. Jesus has little success because of their unbelief. This passage is where preachers who believe in divine healing blame people for not getting healed when hands have been laid upon them. Many people have left churches sick, hurt, and reluctant to return.

When I get a chance to speak to these healing preachers, I ask them what their success rate is. If their success rate is that everyone who asks to be healed gets healed, then they have earned the right to tell those few it is because of their unbelief. Jesus had a high success rate, except in his hometown, where he did not do many miracles.

Why did Jesus have such a low rate of success in his hometown? Why do we have a low success rate of answered prayers? Do you want a higher success rate?

The answer is that these people grew up with Jesus before he did any miracles. They were familiar with Jesus and his family. They knew the rumors that Jesus’ mother got pregnant out of wedlock, whether it was Joseph or another man, were part of the rumors. Either way Jesus was an illegitimate son. How many times do we lean to our own understanding and miss God?

Jesus returned to his hometown as a rising star as a prophet but had nothing in his childhood that said Jesus would do remarkable things. He was a carpenter’s son. His hometown heard about the healings and miracles but had difficulty reconciling what they already knew or thought they knew. Offended by Jesus’ new reputation, they reasoned away the miracle testimonies they heard to what they were familiar with—His past. Their faith became unbelief.

Are we in danger of also reasoning away our faith? How familiar have you become with God? Is He so familiar that you don’t seek Him as you once did? Has His holiness become familiar to you? And no longer Holy? Are you no longer expecting the unexpected because you are unfamiliar with His ways? God didn’t do it in your presubscribed away so you guess He won’t do it at all.

Have you heard the testimonies of what God is doing in other parts of the nation and the world, but are disappointed and offended that God hasn’t done anything for you in a while? Do you believe the testimonies until you run them through your understood doctrine and traditions of men? Then disqualify them.

It is easy to get familiar with who God was and what he did yesterday. But if we want to receive His gift of today, we must guard against offense when He is doing a new thing far from us. He will come near us if we go near Him. It is right to test the spirit of testimonies to see whether they are of God or not. But keep a hopeful, childlike faith in case you reason wrong—no need to miss out because of unbelief.